Roy Harper, living in the sun
by nerdglassespower
Summary: There are many different Roy Harper origin stories out there, but here is mine. Rated T for mentions of abuse. Complete
1. Chapter 1

The day that Roy Harper accidentally stumbled into the arrow cave was the day that Oliver Queen's life brightened quite a bit. The team had just returned from an especially exhausting mission. Diggle had been sarcastic, which was unlike him, and Felicity wouldn't stop asking for a code name. Laurel had almost lost control AGAIN, and Oliver had to pull her off of a street thug. Oliver said "Alright. Let's just-" Suddenly, he saw the kid sitting on the couch. He was young, eleven or twelve years old, at the most, but he looked like he had seen centuries worth of pain. He was a little grimy, and you could tell he hadn't eaten in awhile, but he was the cutest little kid that Oliver had ever seen. With those long lashes and dark brown hair, he looked like he could be a film star had he led a different life.

"Who are you!?" The boy turned around and said simply "Roy Harper". He seemed unfazed to see Oliver in the arrow costume, simply accepted the fact. Oliver was about to ask the boy where he lived, but he realized that he already knew the answer. Roy said "Ummmmmm… Do you mind if I stayed here sometimes" His voice trailed off when he saw the look on Olivers face. Oliver quickly recovered from the shock before weighing his options carefully. The kid already knew his secret, as well as everyone's on the team. If he told, and it was his words against Oliver Queens's then Oliver would win hands down. So, he said "Of course, and call me Oliver".

Roy refused most of the charity the team tried to give him, except use of the couch and shower, as well as the occasional food that Felicity showed up with. Every time he accepted something, you could tell it banged up his pride quite a bit, so Oliver did all he could to keep himself from dragging Roy to his house and adopting him. It had been a few months since Roy started living in the cave, so Oliver had started to train him, just a bit, the little things that a twelve year old could handle. It turned out that Roy was already pretty good with his fists, and could keep himself safe. Every time Oliver questioned where he learned that from, or anything about his past, Roy would abruptly change the subject. It reminded Oliver of himself, in a way.

It was a peaceful day in the arrow cave, with only Oliver and Roy in it. Oliver was sharpening arrows, and Roy was asleep on the couch. Oliver was watching him slumber, and thinking. He doubted there was anything he could do to erase the look on Roy's face, the look of someone who had seen to much hardship and pain for his lifetime. Oliver knew that look well, as he wore it everywhere he went. When Roy slept, the look seemed to soften, almost vanishing into a smile. Oliver realized with a start that he had not seen Roy smile outside of his sleep. He did not know what a twelve year old boy would have to experience that would make him never smile again, but he knew that it had to be bad.

Suddenly, Roy started tossing and turning in his sleep, like he was in a lot of pain. He started mumbling something that sounded like "But it's my birthday. ….. It's their money ….. Please….It's not my fault…Not my….fault…" Suddenly he woke with a start, screaming his head off and sobbing. Oliver ran over to where the young boy was sleeping, and Roy collapsed into him shaking and sobbing, Roy who Oliver had never once seen cry, now a sobbing mess in his arms. Finally the tears subsided, and Oliver said to Roy "Hey it's ok, I'm here it's ok… it's ok…I'm here…". Soon, Roy had pulled himself together enough that Oliver felt safe enough asking "Do you want to tell me your dream?"

Roy shuddered, then started talking slowly and quietly "It was my ninth birthday, at the orphanage, and some of the older kids had saved up their money to buy me a cupcake. It was small, and sloppy, and the happy birthday Roy part was lopsided, but it had a candle on it and it was beautiful. It was the only time that I've ever gotten anything for my birthday… They were singing happy birthday when SHE came in." The way Roy said she, Oliver could hear the capital letters. In response to Oliver's unasked question Roy said "Ms. Redwood, the orphanage owner. She came in and started screaming her head off, and the other kids scattered. She was letting me run, until she saw the Happy birthday Roy on the cupcake. Then she grabbed me…" Roy trailed of and started crying quietly "The beating was worse then usual that night…"

It took Oliver a few seconds to comprehend what Roy had just told him. "Roy" Oliver said, "Take off your shirt" "What!?", came the immediate response. "NO" Oliver sighed quietly and used that face that he put on whenever he was the arrow, and Roy realized that he was not going to win this argument. He slowly took of his shirt, revealing scars and… Burn marks? It was at that moment that Oliver's heart just broke in two. "Put your shirt back on, you are coming with me.", he said. "Where?" Roy responded, to which Oliver simply answered "Home". As soon as Roy realized what Oliver was doing, he started to struggle enormously, kicking, punching, and on occasion, even biting, although Oliver was having none of it. Roy soon started to realize that he was not going to be able to get out of Oliver's grasp. He was twelve years old and Oliver was the arrow. No contest.

Oliver managed, with a little bit of effort, to bring the young boy back to his mansion and dump him in one of the spare rooms. Oliver chose the smallest so that Roy would feel like he was taking up the least space in the house. Oliver knew that he would just be making things worse for Roy, probably ruining any chance he had of truly helping the boy, but he couldn't help it. Oliver just couldn't help wanting to help the scared little boy with the long lashes and the sad eyes. Roy on the other hand, felt no true connection to Oliver, no obligation to anyone who tried to help him. No one had tried to help him before Oliver had come along, and Roy had been just fine with that. He had survived well enough on his own. He had a few places that he could go and stay the night, but right now all he could think about was putting distance between himself and Oliver Queen.

So, Roy did the only thing that he could do, he ran. He ran as fast and as far as he could, through the house and barreling out the front door before Oliver had a chance to do anything about it. Roy leaped onto a roof and just kept running, trying to put as much distance between himself and Oliver Queen as he could. After what felt like hours of running, he finally reached the sign: "you are now leaving star city" Roy just kept running. Oliver was by now, panicking, he had searched everywhere for the young boy, and after a few days, he had started to feel like he wouldn't find him again. He did not, however, give up trying. By now, Oliver realized that the boy was no longer in Star City.

Oliver decided that Diggle, Laurel, and Felicity were well enough equipped to handle any emergencies in Star City for the time being, and he put both of his lives on hold until he could find Roy. He didn't care how long it took, he had messed things up with Roy and he was determined to right his wrongs. He was currently searching all the shelters within a hundred mile radius, and he hadn't found anything, until, a few months after he had started his search, he found something. He walked into a shelter in Steel City, and saw the first glimmer of hope: a flash of someone in a red hoodie. But that someone in a red hoodie had seen him first, tearing out of the back door before Oliver had time to do anything.

Fortunately, this time Oliver was ready for Roy's reaction, and he ran after Roy as fast as he could. Unfortunately for Roy, when he didn't have the element of surprise, he was a lot slower than Oliver Queen, and he didn't have the element of surprise this time. Oliver soon caught up to Roy and fell into a good pace, running alongside him. As soon as Roy's energy tapered out, Oliver said to him "Come home.", and Roy just flipped. He spun around and yelled at Oliver "You don't even know me! You always assume that I'm a saint, that I'm just a good kid stuck in bad circumstances. News Flash! I'm not a good kid!" "WHY!? Your the first person that's ever cared if I lived or died, and you barely even know me!"

Oliver took a while to respond, perhaps asking himself the very same question. After a while, he said simply, "Because Roy, I know you've done some bad things, some dark things. We all have, just to stay alive. But the difference between you and me is that the darkness took me a long time ago. There is no going back for me. I want to save you from sufferieng the same fate as me. I want you to live in the light, Roy I want you to see the sun.


	2. Chapter 2

Soon enough, Roy had permanently moved in to Oliver's house. It was more then large enough for the two of them, but Roy was out the door as soon as he had woken up most days, as if skipping breakfast was preferable to spending another second taking charity from Oliver Queen. Oliver had no idea where Roy was going, and didn't ask. He wanted to bond with Roy, to have a real relationship beyond sharing a house. As much as he wanted to, he didn't, because he knew what forcing Roy to take charity would do, and he preferred not to have to spend months looking for the boy again.

Oliver decided that he wanted to talk to this boy that he knew next to nothing about, so, one day, as Roy was running through the hall, Oliver said "Stay." Roy slowed. He walked back to the breakfast table and sat down. He got himself some cereal and ate. Oliver tried again and again to make a conversation, but Roy just grunted in response. Oliver didn't understand why the young boy was acting like this. "Roy, we used to talk all the time, why don't you want to talk to me now?"

Roy sighed. "It's just that well, ummm…" Oliver was silent. He had the feeling that If he made a single move that Roy wouldn't continue. Roy blushed bloodred and looked extremely mortified. "IneverreallylearnedhowtoreadandIwanttogotoschoolbutI'mtodumbandyouwouldjustlaughatme." with that, he ran out of the room, leaving Oliver to try and decipher what Roy had said. He had said it to fast and quietly for Oliver to understand, but he vowed that he would help this boy with the sad eyes.

When Roy didn't return that night or the next, Oliver panicked. He searched high and low for Roy, and it didn't take him long to find the boy. Holed up in a dark alleyway with books, pen and paper, Oliver was confused as to why Roy was doing this. Eventually, Roy threw another paper behind him, and Oliver understood. On the paper was the alphabet, written in shaky, almost illegible handwriting. Roy was teaching himself how to read and write.

Oliver stood there for hours, watching Roy struggle to sound out the simplest of words and write the alphabet. His heart was currently being crushed into millions of tiny pieces as he processed this new information. He felt terrible that Roy hadn't trusted him enough to tell him this, he certainly wouldn't have laughed in Roy's face or kicked him out. Oliver realized that maybe Roy needed more of a father figure in his life then he had thought. Roy was muttering something to himself, and Oliver strained to hear what Roy was saying "I've gotta get this so that Oliver will like me… he doesn't know me.. I want Dad to be like him….he wouldn't want me if he knew..I'm just a broken kid.."

As he watched Roy start again on the alphabet, Oliver reached out his hand, and, without thinking, steadied Roy's helping him write out the alphabet. When Roy realized what Oliver was doing, he leaped up and started to run away, but Oliver beat him to it, engulfing the young boy in a hug. Roy looked mortified "How much of that did you see!" "Enough." Responded Oliver. Roy tried to force his way out of Oliver's grasp, but Oliver didn't let him go, and Roy eventually returned the hug. "Roy, I could help you learn."' Oliver offered. Roy seemed to consider his offer for a moment before responding "Well, you already know my secret and I have a feeling that if I say no then you won't let it go, so ok." Oliver smiled. "Roy, we'll get you reading in no time.


End file.
